Marriott employees have 'Spirit to Serve' in Armenia

Submitted On August 11, 2009

Twelve Armenia Marriott Hotel associates of all positions visited the village of Haytagh in the Armavir region to help build the Arshakyan family’s first home, giving them a chance to raise their children in safe, healthy conditions.

Marriott International, Inc. encourages it’s employees to have a ‘Spirit to Serve’ as one of its core values through every day work as well as taking time to volunteer within their communities.

This year, Armenia’s Marriott Hotel chose to help the Fuller Center for Housing.

“It is very encouraging to see that a corporation like Marriott, Inc. is joining FCH Armenia in the common goal to make life in our communities more comfortable and decent for everyone,” Ashot Yeghiazaryan, Fuller Center for Housing Armenia president, said.

“This joint effort once more demonstrated that core values and culture are the ideals that serve as the foundation of all aspects of Marriott’s Spirit to Serve” said Ami Miron, the General Manager of Armenia Marriott Hotel. “The ‘Spirit to Serve’ the community is demonstrated every day by associate and corporate support of local, national, and international initiatives and programs.”

Sub-standard housing is all too common in Armenia. Many families live in deteriorated housing, in cramped quarters with inadequate water and heat. These families are unable to purchase their own homes, without the income it would take to save and pay for the entire house cost up front.[1]

Fuller Center for Housing Armenia provides these families long term interest-free loans in addition to encouraging volunteers to build shoulder to shoulder with the beneficiary families.

Fuller Center for Housing Armenia relates well to the core values of Marriott, Inc. Both of them are widely involved in community developing activities.
“We pledge that every Marriott community will be a better place to live and work because we are there,” Miron said.

“I believe that the Armenia Marriott Hotel build day will become a wonderful example of serving our communities and landing hand to the families, deprived of basic dwelling,” Yeghiazaryan said. ”It is also very symbolic to see a hospitality-business caring of those who need a place to spend safe nights and to build safe futures for their children.”

Marriott International, Inc., is a leading lodging company. Its heritage can be traced to a root beer stand opened in Washington, D.C., in 1927 by J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott. Today, Marriott International has more than 3,200 lodging properties located in the United States and 66 other countries and territories.

The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia is working to eliminate poverty housing by providing long term, interest-free loans and by recruiting volunteers to help low-income families to build simple, sustainable, affordable houses and renovate their houses. For more information, please visit www.fullercenterarmenia.org[2].